Marquesate's Blog

For some unfathomable reason, the original ebook purchasing page has vanished, and thus the original link to the epub version doesn't work anymore. Many thanks to a reader who alerted me to this.

Deliverance is of course still available as ebook (in addition to paperback and for Kindle) and the page is here:

Deliverance – Hooch and Matt's Story (epub version)

Filed under: Publishing

A few days ago there was good news about Paypal's backpedaling from being morality police and banning their services for legal fiction they deemed 'obscene'.

CNet's article gives a good run-down on what took place:

Back-and-forth talks between the online payment company and e-publishers leads PayPal to change its position on the sale of e-books containing bestiality, rape, incest, and underage erotica.

After vocal outrage from authors, e-publishers, and free speech activists, PayPal has shifted its "acceptable use" policy on e-books containing certain erotica content. The online payment company announced today that mostly books with images will be under scrutiny.

It's important to note that the EFF weighed in as well. From CNet:

As the talks proceeded, the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation also launched its own campaign. In collaboration with other free speech groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, Authors Guild, and the PEN American Center, the nonprofit sent a protest letter to PayPal. Since then, several more organizations signed onto the campaign.

The point here is, and I feel I cannot make it often enough, that legal creative outputs (fiction, in this case) was to be banned. Not illegal, but legal. Also, not individual works, but whole website. A broad brush that was completely unacceptable censorship-wise.

This whole debacle shows us again that we all must remain vigilant. This will happen again. Perhaps another company, perhaps something else, but it will happen again. Let's make sure we continue to fight inappropriate censorhsip.

 "The Internet cannot be a true global forum for expression if private companies that provide communication and payment services operate as morality police," EFF Staff Attorney Lee Tien said in a statement. "We're especially pleased that PayPal will only target specific works and not entire Web sites."

Filed under: Publishing, Writing

 

Following on from the formatting frenzy of Deliverance, I realised that HMM & BHMM were not yet available for Kindle, and thus I tackled the formatting of these Oldies but Goldies. So, here they are now:

Her Majesty's Men (Kindle edition)

ASIN B007J6O3WE

America: Her Majesty's Men on Amazon.com


Great Britain: Her Majesty's Men on Amazon.co.uk


Germany: Her Majesty's Men on Amazon.de


France: Her Majesty's Men on Amazon.fr


Spain: Her Majesty's Men on Amazon.es


Italy: Her Majesty's Men on Amazon.it

Beyond Her Majesty's Men (Kindle edition)

ASIN B007J6KNEG

America: Beyond Her Majesty's Men on Amazon.com


Great Britain: Beyond Her Majesty's Men on Amazon.co.uk


Germany: Beyond Her Majesty's Men on Amazon.de


France: Beyond Her Majesty's Men on Amazon.fr


Spain: Beyond Her Majesty's Men on Amazon.es


Italy: Beyond Her Majesty's Men on Amazon.it

Filed under: Publishing

Watch and sign, read and listen. This is posted on the AllOut.org website (excerpt):

Feb. 29, 2012. They did it. Conservative lawmakers in Saint Petersburg just passed the notorious "propaganda" law to silence any reading, writing, speech or debate on anything "gay."

The goal? To make LGBT people disappear.

Conservatives in St. Petersburg passed this "gay gag rule" despite condemnation from world leaders – and even the country's own international treaty obligations respecting freedom of expression.

Petition to the Governor of St Petersburg.

This video is excellent and says it all without saying a single word.

Filed under: Homosexuality

Reader-Response Theory

AKA why no one is right and no one is wrong – or both at the same time

I have always believed that every review of a creative work i.e. in this instance a fictional text/work of fiction, is as valid as the other, because there is no "true" or "ultimate" meaning in any text. The author's as just another meaning, and the moment the text is out there it becomes owned and understood by each and everyone who engages with it.

Every reader makes their own meaning of a fictional text, and that's one can find widly different reviews and opinions of every work of fiction that has ever been made available to readers. Have we not all encountered this phenomenon and sometimes thought "but how can this reader like this? It's crap!" or "I don't understand how they could like this, it's fantastic!" and every single shade in between. This is particularly true for sequels, where reader expectations play a strong part, because they will have built their own meaning already.

Let's have a look at Reader-Response Theory, which to me explains the above admirably.

Back in the 1930s a new attention to the reading process – and thus the reader – emerged to focus on the reader's role in creating meaning. Louise Rosenblatt was the pioneer in 1938 in Reader-Response Theory, with other leading proponents being much later in the early 1960s Wayne Booth, and in the late 1970s Stanley Fish.

Back in the 1980s, when I was in grammar school, I remember that we were still looking for meaning in a text and interpreting lterature by trying to understand what the author might have meant – and by learning everything about the author and what migth have influenced this meaning-making. All well and good, and certainly interesting, but as someone else said "sometimes the meaning of 'the wall was blue' is not that the author tried to express melancholy, but that the wall was f****ing blue!"

Reader-Response Theory, on the other hand, is built on "Text and text alone2, and there are two fundamental beliefs:

The role of the reader is vital for our understanding of literature.
Readers do not passively consume the meaning presented to them by an 'objective' literary text. Instead they actively make the meaning they find in the text.

Therefore, different readers will read the same text differently, and the reader is the necessary third component in the relationship that constitutes the literary work:

Any literary work is not fully created until the reader assimilates it and actualises it in light of their own knowledge and experience. Even the same reader reading same text on two different occasions will probably produce different meanings because of the many variables contributing to the experience of a literary text.

READER + TEXT = MEANING

Reading is a process, and during this process the reader continually reflects on the text while meaning-making within their own context. Each reader reads literary work for himself/herself, while drawing on past experiences, and molding new experiences from new text.

As a literary text is read, readers respond to it in their own personal way:

Feelings, associations, memories, etc. occur as we read
These responses influence the way in which we make sense of the text as we move through it.
Literature read prior to this reading has an effect on the meaning-making
The reflection is based on the sum total of accumulated knowledge at any given reading
Current mental (mood) and physical condition are influencing factors

The second reading of a literary text produces greater (different) insights:

Knowledge acquired between first and second reading (including other literary texts)
Personal experiences that have taken place since
Change in condition and mood between two readings
Change in purpose/why the text is read again

Transactional Reader-Response

Transactional Reader-Response analyses transactions between the reader and the literary text. Both elements necessary in meaning-making i.e. no text = no meaning, no reader = no making, and vice versa.

Well, does this ring a bell for anyone? Of course there are also varied criticisms of the Reader-Response Theory, and I encourage you to take a look around and make up your minds for yourselves.

Next up I will take a look at Cognitive Reading Theory and Theory of Mind to further understand why no story is ever read the same at any given time, and no reaction is ever, either.

References

Knapp (2010) Reading Fiction—an Introduction to Reader Response theory. Available at: http://instructorknapp.blogspot.com/2010/09/reading-fictionan-introduction-to.html

Lorenzen, J (2006) An Application of Literary Theory: Considering Reader Response Theory in the Writing of Book Reviews. Available at: http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Theory...

Rosenblatt, L (1938) Literature as Exploration, New York: Appleton-Century.

Filed under: Writing

Deliverance (Kindle edition)

ASIN B007EW6EQ6

Deliverance is now available on the American and the European Amazon sites in Kindle format.

This is in addition to the epub format and the paperback, currently available directly from the publisher, but not yet from a distributor. That always takes a little time.

America: Deliverance on Amazon.com

Great Britain: Deliverance on Amazon.co.uk

Germany: Deliverance on Amazon.de

France: Deliverance on Amazon.fr

Spain: Deliverance on Amazon.es

Italy: Deliverance on Amazon.it

Filed under: Publishing

It is with great concern that I, too, feel compelled to post about the shocking recent bullying/censorship by Paypal – a company that is nothing more but a finanial middleman – on erotic fiction.

I have collected a short list of excellent articles on this matter, and urge everyone to read up on what is happening here, and how a company that has a monopoly is enforcing arbitrary rules that affect legal products/fiction. It is important to spread the word, because where else will they go? What else will be forbidden even though it is legal? Where will private monopoly companies be made to stop wielding censorship?

This is not 'just' about erotica readers and authors and the associated publishes and distributors. This is potentially also about classic literature, such as The Story of O, Venus in Furs and Lolita. And not just literature: where will this slippery slope end up? If consumers and world citizens are not vigilant, we will be censored not by the church or the state of history, but by corporations.

Please consider signing the petition Stop Internet Censorship! 

After all, anyone who enjoys reading my books and those of my fellow M/M authors, you are in real danger that rather sooner than later you are not allowed/able to do so anymore. If I cannot use PayPal for transactions anymore (and PayPal did freeze accounts and all money in it) I can neither publish through international publishers any longer, nor publish through Camouflage Press. BDSM = between consenting adults! today; gay sex tomorrow?

TechCrunch posted on Sunday 26th February:

 PayPal As Moral Police? Forces E-Book Sellers To Remove Certain Erotica Content. The letter – written by Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords – has been posted on Smashwords' own site, and gives a fuller explanation of what is going on: it all stems from an "ultimatum" that PayPal issued to Smashwords on Feb. 18: "PayPal gave us only a few days to achieve compliance otherwise they threatened to deactivate our PayPal services."

Coker says that other e-book retailers have also been served with the same orders, but he does not name them. He also says that PayPal has been helpful with working out exactly what kind of content falls foul of the new rules, but that "gray areas remain." (For example incest also includes "pseudo-incest.") One other area that PayPal named, related to underage children, is already prohibited on Smashwords, Coker notes.

He also points out that this latest order is part of a bigger push by PayPal to start "aggressively enforcing a prohibition against online retailers selling certain types of 'obscene' content."

Anonymiss posted on 21st February:

 The #PayPal Fiasco Continues … #epicfail. Yesterday saw what seemed like the second wave of PayPal's censorship and attempt at policing what they find "morally objectionable". All Romance eBooks has sent out an official notice for the take-down of all books containing pseudo-incest themes, non-con, etc. It's not hard to connect the dots and see that they're doing this as per PayPal's "orders". They do, after all, pay author royalties via PayPal and take PayPal as a form of payment.

This is a truly slippery slope. What will the PayPal Morality Police want to ban next? This form of "corporate censorship" by financial means has to be stopped, especially when said company has practically a monopoly in the business as middleman. A friend of mine put it this way: it's coercion, plain and simple.

PulpTech posted on 27th February:

 PayPal Strong-Arms Indie Ebook Publishers Over Erotic Content. PayPal's new aggressive campaign wants to stop independent e-book publishers that use its service from including certain kinds of erotic content in their catalogs.

On Saturday February 18, PayPal began threatening indie book publishers and distributors with immediate deactivation of the businesses' accounts if they did not remove books containing certain sexual themes – namely, specific sexual fantasies that PayPal does not approve of.

PayPal told indie e-book publishers and retailers – such as AllRomance, Smashwords, Excessica and Bookstrand – that if they didn't remove the offending literature from their catalogs within a few days of notification, PayPal would close their accounts.

Of course, the immediate termination of payment processing would devastate these businesses and all of their authors (not just the erotic writers) overnight.

In case you haven't noticed, PayPal has a monopoly on the market of online payment processing. There are few alternatives, though none that are widely used by online shoppers.

The Self Publishing Revolution posted on 19th February:

Slippery Slope: Erotica Censorship. (…)Note that they list not only "incest" but "pseudo-incest" as well. Now, while "incest" is illegal in most states, "pseudo-incest" is not. (Woody Allen, anyone?) Having sex with a step-relation or an adopted relative is just… sex. It might seem creepy or weird, but it isn't illegal.

Now they're not just targeting illegal acts (this is in fiction mind you) now they're targeting acts that may simply just be "morally objectionable." Where else do they do this? Are they targeting authors who write about serial killers?

I don't know what this means for the future of erotic self-publishing, but like the banning of certain titles begun by Amazon, it is a very slippery slope indeed. Today it's "pseudo-incest" and "rape" (including BDSM titles) which is nothing more than legal sex between consenting adults.

What will it be tomorrow?

 Don't leave it up to PayPal to choose how you spend your money or where!

Filed under: Publishing, Writing

As promised, February isn't over yet and Deliverance is published.

Deliverance (paperback)

Paperback: 278 pages, 100,000 words

ISBN 978-0-9559880-1-1

Deliverance (ebook)

eBook: ISBN 978-0-9559880-2-8

Nothing in life is ever simple, especially if you are a Delta Force instructor and an ex-Marine trying to make a new life together – not when you live under the constraints of 'Don't ask, Don't tell,' the shadow of nightmares, and a darkness that will destroy you unless kept in check.

Deliverance is the story of Hooch, a US Delta Force soldier and Matt, his former-Jarhead lover. It is a spin-off from Special Forces and spans the years 1998 to 2011. Both Hooch and Matt were created by Marquesate as secondary characters in the epic Special Forces (© 2006-2009), but they took on a life of their own.

Deliverance is available in paperback and as ebook from Camouflage Press. As a special treat from TA and Marq, Deliverance can be read online on Marquesate's website.

Deliverance © Marquesate and TA Brown 2011. All rights reserved.

Publisher: Camouflage Press

Publication Date: February 2012

Filed under: Publishing, Writing

Indeed, what it says on the tin. We have just received Deliverance back from our line editor and this weekend will be spent formatting and preparing. Watch this space, if I glue myself to the computers this weekend, Deliverance will be published – well, this weekend.

Marq & TA

Filed under: Publishing

Review © Film Fan "yveythelibrarian" at Amazon (December 2011)

"For those keenly awaiting Marquesate's latest offering 'Basic Training', you will not be disappointed. It contains all the trademarks of this author's unique style; tough men in a brutal environment, snappy banter,impeccable attention to military detail, and of course well plotted sex scenes. I also like that her relationships always seem to take place over several years. None of this 'instant attraction' stuff. I can attest

that Marquesate's knowledge of the British Armed Forces is spot-on. The author charts the training and challenges that it takes to rise through the ranks like a real insider. I know a few currently serving who are impressed with the accuracy of what is portrayed.

The homophobia that is encountered by the younger character Chris Thompson, is brutally real. The self-doubt and and the eventual self-acceptance of Col "Bulldog Wilson , is equally well portrayed. He is a tough , but sympathtic character and you relate to the inner turmoli he is going through. However where the book shows real maturity is in the development of a genuinely romantic story. I do not want to give too much away, but it's a great tale, and I really did not want to leave Col and Chris when it came to the end. It's wonderful seeing a favorite author develop and evolve, and Marquesate seems to improve with each offering. This is tough with a soft centre, Marquesate's warmest and human work to date, and thought provoking. Any one of the author's books could withstand a sequel, and this is no exception. Absolutely recommended!"

Review © Valentina Heart at The Romance Reviews (full review) (December 2011)

"I've always liked reading about soldiers, the difficulties such career entails and the necessary roughness all of them individually present. I suppose it's that ever-present infatuation we civilians have toward men who can take care of themselves and daily protect others. Mouthwatering muscles, a knack for weapons and the uniform don't hurt a bit, of course. (…)

The guys are manly men, bone-headed and strong. While their road together wasn't easy, there wasn't much conflict to spice up the story. The sex was hot but not excessive and certainly not brutal. In fact, other than one scene with bloody details of an attack, the book never got any rougher and overall is a rather sweet. The progress of their relationship is very slow and stretches over a few years, where it's pretty easy to follow their personal growth and that road to the eventual happy ending.(…)

While not amazing to the point of speechlessness, this book is still one of the best m/m soldier books out there and it should definitely be on the subject fans' reading list."

Review © Jen at Well Read (Excellent) (full review) (November 2011)

"It's been two years since the release of the rather excellent Her Majesty's Men, the last book by this author, but I was so impressed by that book that I've hung in there waiting for a new book to be published. Basic Training is that book, and in my opinion the two years have been worth the wait, especially as this book shows some increased maturity in the style of writing from this author. (…)

There were two things in particular that struck me about the story, and which added greatly to my enjoyment of the book as a whole. Firstly, I enjoyed following the unfolding of the relationship between the two men, especially in Col's emotional journey towards accepting his homosexuality. Those of you who may have read Marquesate's other books will know that her men are rough and tough; find it difficult to express emotion; and engage in almost brutal sex with each other. Whilst the first two are certainly the case here, the third element was very much toned down from previous books. Col's one of these men who prefers not to think about emotional mushy stuff, and definitely feels uncomfortable talking about his feelings. As a result he tends to adopt the 'think about it later' way of facing up to things which concern him, such as his changing views on his own sexuality. I loved the gradual way that Col deals with these difficult for him issues, and especially the small steps towards accepting himself. Some of my favourite scenes in the book were when Col really thought through his jumbled emotions, or when he bit the bullet and spoke to others. However, when in private with Chris, he does let his guard down and the sex between them was quite beautifully tender in places, whilst also containing some of the roughness that this author is known for. They matched so well as a couple, both of them riddled with their own insecurities and hang-ups whilst providing a solid support to the other. It was more than love or romance, it was friendship, comradeship and a solid foundation for a life long relationship and I loved reading about it.

The second aspect which I really liked about this book was the way that the life of a Royal Marine was so ingrained through every thought and action of both the main characters. There's enough detail given to understand the life of a soldier – both during the basic training and then on into a career in the Royal Marines – but not so much that I felt overwhelmed by knowledge that wasn't important to the story."

Review © bill_m at Amazon (full review) (October 2011)

"this is a timely story, with the demise of DADT in the US military, and it's well-written and realistic. (…) even if you've no military experience you will easily and surely enjoy this story, although the m/m romance element may not be for everyone. If you have military experience – and are at least flexible and forward-looking in your perspective (i.e., not a confirmed homophobe or fearful of gays serving in the military) – you'll be pleasantly surprised at the realism and sympathy for military training found here. (…) Give this one a chance – it's very, very good."

Review © haywire at Amazon (October 2011)

"If you started reading Marquesate because of the Special Forces epic or of the novel Her Majesty's Men or of the short stories that have appeared here and there, Friendly Fire (in mostly dreadful company in a collection also called Special Forces for what reason heaven only knows), For Queen and Country or Code of Honour, in 'Basic Training' you will find what you have come to like about the author: strong, believable characters, gritty story lines, a military setting that rings

entirely true and, above all where I am concerned, stories that are true to themselves; oh yes, and some rather hot m/m sex too.

'Basic Training' is the story of Col, a sergeant in the Royal Marines and Chris a recruit who is determined to make it through the mud because he has a point to prove. Against the backdrop of the gruelling 31 week training a relationship develops against all odds and, after the most audacious of all the boneheaded things Chris does, the two, very much to Col's surprise, become a couple. Against the rough military background, this is a real love story and one that works. Col and Chris are in most ways unlikely lovers. There is the age difference, 14 years. There is the military environment; different ranks are not supposed to have relationships in the military and you certainly are more likely as a recruit in special forces training to want to stay out of your terrifying sergeant's sights than to want to get to know him more closely. There is the difference in their backgrounds and educations…But against the odds the relationship develops and here Marquesate pulls off a master stroke. It would be easy to hit the false tone when these alpha soldiers are out of their natural element and have to start interacting as lovers and then as a couple. Instead she gets it just right. Col is her voice here and his surprise and ironic view of his own feelings and actions provides the needed distance and prevents any false sentimentality. These men are suddenly dealing with emotions, with feelings for each other and it's completely uncharted territory for them for which their training has made them less fit perhaps than most. I defy anyone, male or female, to remember their first time in love and the heady, silly, clumsy and sometimes downright make-you-blush corny behaviour that went with it and not to share a rueful chuckle with Col. While the story has warm, touching and even funny moments there is, in true Marquesate style, plenty of grit too and homophobia as well as the deadly reality of soldiers' lives in the time of war in Afghanistan raise their heads and provide a realistic setting that has a direct impact on the two protagonists' happily ever after.

This is probably the sunniest of Marquesate's stories so far. A feel good story that has deceptive depth and characters that are well developed, even the lesser ones like Chris' aunt and uncle. Definitely worth the wait and definitely a novel

that I want as a book on my shelves."

Filed under: Book Reviews